Adapter



i Letters Patented Dec. 29, 1931 i',

" PHILIP s. Wiisfrco'r'r, or OAK rank, ILLINOIS Armin'rnn"f` Y 5 Application filed pri1r28, 1931.` Serial No. 533,511,A

They present invention relates to an adapter and particularly to one useful ingconnectionl with association with the tracks of toy electric. railways for connecting dissimilar track sections and also for compensating for variations in the length of rails.

u Toy electric railway systems on the market atthe present time, for the mostpart,

use a' conventional pre-formed rigid type of track sections; A'section of the conventional type comprises two running rails secured to the :ties and a middle third rail as the live current conductor of the system.V When curves arevnecessary,jsuch pre-formed rigid sections arecurve'd on? fixed 'curvatures Pinsare inserted in the ends of the heads of some of the rails for making the electrical Vconnection with the railsof adj acentfsections; lThe rails utilized in making up j the conventional Asections are made from thinmetal Y formedto provide afravilhead substantially circular in section and hollow from end to end, webs and lthefusual flanges., "The lconnecting'pins enter the endsy oftheliollow Aheads of the rails yfor connecting the'section's together in alignment and also electrically.

Patent No. 1,773,560 issuedAugust 19,1930, disclose a`t'o`y electric railway track.

construction wherein ftherails are flat pieces of'metal removably retained in edgewise position inl ties and which rails are Vbendable to provide curvatures of varying amplitudes. It has been found that tracks made inv ac- .cordance with the "above mentioned patent `have been, sold for use withthe conventionall tracks whereinithefusers haved'esired to departy from the conventicual arrangements of Y lsetups from thatf made necessary by use of the conventional ftrackzsections, n

yThe trackmade in accordance with said `Letters Patent `will herein be designated as the" constructiona typez and :the ypre-formed rigid section heretofore described referred to herein as the conventional type.v lt will be understood, therefore,that in using these iterms herein-applicant uses the same in theA `manner namedl object fof thefprese'nt linvention ,ist to i Aprovide an adapter whereby rails of the con-v Y Figure isla top struction7 type may be interchangeably used with rails `of the conventional type.` f i Another object of the invention is to provide adapters for compensating for variations in rail lengths of the construction7 5 'l type A further object of the invention is to provide adapters for 'use with rails `of the construction7 type Vfor bridgingthe gaps oc- A,

casioned when the rails of such type are used for forming curves and where inequalities occur because ofsuch curvature,.the adapters serving to connect the ends of the rails form# ing theV gaps and at the same time tofserve toY bridge the gaps, thus constituting active `members of the running rails ofthe con-4 struction type.Y i i i A still further object of the inventionris to provide adapters structionl type may conventional type, `and wherein electrical communication may be established'between rails of the two typeseasily and efficiently.

The above, other and Yfurther objects of i' whereby rails of the conbe interchangeably` used nW'ith'track sections of the the invention will lbeap'parent fromlthe foli lowingdescription, accompanying drawings,

and appended claims.

The accompanying invention and the views thereof are as follows: f

` Figurel is asideelevational view of an adapter embodying the, present invention.

. i drawings v illustrate emn .bodiments of the present `Figure 12`is a side elevational view of 'a p,

fragmental portion of -trackof the construcrailrof such track.

of the present vinvention in different relations. The middle rail ofFigure 3 showsthe adapter bridging the gapbetween the spaced ends of adjacent rails, while the lower rail illustrates"Y the adapter used in connection with a filler,` for compensating for `variations in the length of the rail occasioned by curvatures and the like.

1 Figure Liis afragmental side elevational view, partially in sectiomshowing the adapter planview of a fragmental` yportion of track of the construction typev showing use of the adapters tion type showing an adapter utilized in 'com- Y pensatin'g forvariations in the lengths'of the [loo in use for connecting a rail of the construction type with the rail of the conventional type.

Generally speaking, the adapter conteniplates a member which is associated in end wise fixed relation with one rail and which is engageable with another rail in endwise adjustable relation.

The drawings will now be explained.

The adapter illustrated consists of a flat piece of metal 1 of elongated form having an end portion 2 ot reduced width and constituting a pin extension. The member l is provided with two bolt holes 3punched with regard to the adjac-ent end oi the adapter and which register with similarly punched bolt holes in the end of a rail to which said adapter may be connected. The adapter is provided with an elongated slot 4- for receiving bolts anywhere in the length of the saine for adjustable endwise engagement with a rail.

The rails of the construction type are tlat pieces of spring metal arranged for removable association with ties in an endwise position. Curvatures in the tracks made from these rails are formed by arranging the ties in angular relation one to another and then clamping the rails to the ties while in such relationship. Forming curvatures of whatever character necessarily affects the length of the rail sections employed in the formation of such curves. The ends of the rails of the construction type are'p'un ched tor receivin bolts whereby splice bars or fish plat-es may be utilized for joining together the adjacent ends of abutting rails. The bolt holesin the end of the rails are punched with deiinite regard to theends of the rail as are the bolt holes 3 in the adapter 1.

Figure 3 illustrates ties 5 having` slotted upstanding portions 6 for receiving the rails 7. The .rail which appears at the top of Figure 3 is formed ot two rail sections 7 of the construction type with the ends in abutting relation and connected by a splice bar or fish plate 8 bolted to the ends of the adjacent sections by the bolts 9, thus simulating standard railway constructions in this regard.

The middle rail of Figure 3 illustrates the rail 10 spaced forming a gap. The spaced .ends of the rails 10 are connected by an adapter 1 which is illustrated as fastened to the right hand rail section 10` by bolts 11 passing through the bolt hole 3 in the adapter and registering bolt holes in the rail 10. The bolts 12 pass through bolt holes in the lett hand rail section 10 and through the slot 4 in the adapter. The provision of the slot 4i inthe adapter 'allows application of the bolts 12 anywhere along the length of said slot depending onthe gap existing between the spaced ends of adjacent rail sections.

The lowermost rail in Figure 3 illustrates the use of an adapter where a filler plate 13 is employed to fill in the gap between the spaced ends of the adjacent rail sections 14 and 15 which sometimes exists due to a great er curvature than usual. The liller plate 13 is fastened to the rail 14 by a splice bar 16 by means of the bolts 17 and 18. Bolt holes are formed in the splice bars 13 punched in the saine manner as are the holes in the ends of therails and also as the holes 3 in the adapter 1, that is, as regards the adjacent ends of the liller plate. The adapter 1 is bolted to the end of the filler plate 13 by bolts 19 while bolts 20 pass through bolt holes in the end of the rail section 15 and the slot for the adapter.

It will .thus be observed that the adapter lends itself very readily as means for compensating for variations in lengths of rails occurring when culvatures arel formed from rails of the construction type and also serving as running rails to bridge such gaps,

whereby smooth operation of the toy train results.

lVhen it is desired to use the rails of the construction type with sections of the conventional type, it is necessary to apply the adapter of the present invention to the ends f of the rails 21 of the construction type.

Figure 4 illustrates a rail of the conventional type where may be observed the head 22 which is hollow, the web 23, and a flange 24 together with the tie 25 secured to such rail inthe manner usual in the conventional type.

The adapter 1 is bolted by means of bolts 26 to the ends of the tracks 21 of the construction type and then the pins 2 forming part of the adapters 1 are entered in the ends of the hollow heads '22 of the rails of the conventional type and pushed therein until there is tight engagement. Such engagement provides sufficient electrical connection and'V also continuity of the heads of the rails of both the construction type and the conventional type. If desired, the ties 5 may be applied underneath the adapter in which event the set screws 27 bear against the adapter and suitably support the same.

It is understood that when rails of the construction type are used With sections of the conventional type, the construction type is soset up as .to have the ends of the' running rails as Well as the third rail in alignment with the corresponding rails of the conventional section.

l/Vhenever the adapter is utilized for compensating for variations in the lengths of rails of the construction7 type such as illustrated in Figures 2 and 3, the adapters and splice bars are placed on the outside of such rails so as not to interfere 'with the flanges of the wheels of the electric train passing along the track so constructed.

vThe invention has been described herein more or less precisely as to details, yet it is to be understood that the invention is not to be ,limited thereby, as changes may be made in 2. An adapter for connecting rails of the construction type of toy electric systems to rails of the conventional type consisting in a member having a portion for entering the end of the head of a rail of the conventional type and having a portion lying against the rail oi the construction type, which latter por-V tion is provided with an elongated s lot for receiving bolts in the construction type rail, said slotted portion of said adapter allowing connection of a rail of the construction type with a rail of the conventional type where the ends of the rails are ont of abuttingy relation and for compensating for dil'erences in lengths of the rails when the same are assem-` bled ina track, the adapter serving as a rnnning rail for the interval between the end of the rail of the construction type and the adjacent end of the rail of the conventional type. v

In testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name at Chicago, Cook County,

Illinois.

PHILIP S. WESTCO'IT. 

